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Overview

About ERAS

The Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS®), developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), allows medical school students and graduates to apply electronically for first- and second-year (PGY-1 and PGY-2) residency positions in U.S. programs of graduate medical education (GME). ECFMG serves as the designated Dean’s office for all international medical students and graduates (IMGs) and for participants in Fifth Pathway Programs who use ERAS. As your designated Dean’s office, ECFMG is your primary contact for assistance and information throughout the ERAS application process.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are a student or graduate of a U.S. (LCME- or AOA-accredited) medical school/program, you must apply for residency positions through the Dean’s office at your medical school. If you are a student or graduate of a Canadian medical school/program, the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) acts as your Dean’s office if applying to positions in the United States; for more detailed information, go to www.carms.ca.

Your pursuit of a residency position involves three separate organizations:

It is vital that you read all websites carefully to understand the role of each organization and to understand the intricacies of residency recruitment, eligibility criteria, and what is expected of you as a prospective candidate for a residency position.

ERAS Support Services at ECFMG will issue your ERAS Token, which you must request via ECFMG’s OASIS and which will allow you to access the AAMC MyERAS website to complete your residency application. ERAS Support Services will also receive, scan, and transmit to the ERAS PostOffice your supporting documents along with your ECFMG Status Report and, if requested, your USMLE transcript.

The ECFMG Medical Education Credentials Committee reviews allegations of “irregular behavior.” Irregular behavior includes all actions or attempted actions on the part of applicants or examinees that would or could subvert the examination, certification, or other processes of ECFMG. Examples of irregular behavior include, but are not limited to, failing to comply with a USMLE or ECFMG policy, procedure, and/or rule; submission of a falsified or altered document to ECFMG; and submission of any falsified or altered ECFMG document to other entities or individuals. A determination of irregular behavior shall be sufficient cause for ECFMG to bar you from future examinations, to withhold and/or invalidate the results of an examination, to withhold an ECFMG certificate, to revoke an ECFMG certificate, or to take other appropriate action. ECFMG will report findings of irregular behavior to the Federation of State Medical Boards Board Action Databank, state medical licensing authorities, and directors of graduate medical education programs, among others. ECFMG may also report such findings to the USMLE Committee on Irregular Behavior and Score Validity and to any other organization or individual who, in the judgment of ECFMG, has a legitimate interest in such information. If it is determined that you have participated in irregular behavior, an annotation to that effect will be included in your ECFMG record. This annotation will appear on your ECFMG Certification Verification Service Reports and ECFMG Status Reports.

AAMC has taken a strong position in connection with applicants engaging in irregular behavior. View AAMC policies at www.aamc.org/students/eras/policies/integritypromotion.htm.

AAMC operates MyERAS, the website that ERAS applicants use to complete their residency application materials. Most residency programs participate in ERAS. The list of ERAS participating specialties and programs is published on the ERAS website. You must use ERAS to apply to participating programs. You cannot use ERAS to apply to programs that do not participate in ERAS; ERAS will not forward supporting documents to such programs.

ERAS Support Services at ECFMG strongly encourages you to read the AAMC publication, Roadmap to Residency: From Application to the Match and Beyond (Second Edition), which provides an overview of U.S. medical education recruitment processes.

NRMP matches applicants with available positions in programs. Applying at MyERAS and submitting supporting documents to ERAS Support Services at ECFMG do not register you with the NRMP Match. You are required to register with NRMP in order to be a participant in the 2010 Match. Additionally, you must meet NRMP’s examination requirements, and your passing examination results must be available in time to participate. If you are not matched to a position through the Match, you can participate in the NRMP’s post-Match Scramble, which occurs annually during Match week.

ERAS Support Services at ECFMG strongly encourages you to read the 2008 NRMP Program Director Survey. This publication provides insight into the factors program directors use in selecting applicants for an interview and in ranking applicants for their programs. Additionally, you are encouraged to read the 2008 NRMP Main Residency Match: Match Results by State and Specialty, which details the number of positions secured by IMGs through the Match by specialty and by state.

There are fees associated with the services provided by ECFMG, AAMC, and NRMP. You must ensure that you satisfy all fee requirements; otherwise, a hold may be placed on your ERAS application and NRMP activities, and ECFMG will not process your requests.

It is important to know that ECFMG and AAMC are not associated with other services seeking to assist you with the ERAS application process for a fee. As the designated Dean’s office for IMGs, ECFMG is here to assist you with the ERAS application process.

IMPORTANT NOTE: All IMGs and Fifth Pathway participants planning to participate in the ERAS 2010 season must also be familiar with the items that are new for ERAS 2010.

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Eligibility

To participate in ERAS, you must have a USMLE/ECFMG Identification Number.

To participate in the Match, NRMP requires that you have passed certain exams. Refer to the NRMP website for specific requirements. To maximize the chances that the results of these exams will be available in time to participate, you should be familiar with the standard registration and score reporting turnaround times for the required examinations. You can find information on registration turnaround times in the ECFMG Information Booklet. For score reporting turnaround times for USMLE Step 1, Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK), and Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS), refer to the USMLE Bulletin of Information, available on the USMLE website. For Step 2 CS, updated information on the score reporting schedule is available on the USMLE website.

It is solely the responsibility of the applicant to complete and pass the required exams in time to meet deadlines imposed by NRMP and/or GME programs. Since the number of applicants seeking to complete these exams may exceed the spaces available in time to meet those deadlines, there is no guarantee that sufficient spaces will be available for all applicants to meet deadlines imposed by NRMP and/or GME programs.

If you were certified by ECFMG based on former medical science exams (such as the VQE or FMGEMS), you should be aware that requirements to participate in training programs vary among medical licensing jurisdictions. You should contact the state medical board of the jurisdiction(s) where you plan to pursue residency training to inquire about training license requirements. A list of U.S. licensing jurisdictions is available on the website of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, Inc.

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ERAS Application Process

The following is an overview of the process:

  1. Subscribe to ECFMG-ERAS News, a free e-newsletter for IMGs using ERAS, to receive important updates.
  2. Prior to applying via ERAS, contact your programs of interest to determine their minimum eligibility criteria, ERAS application deadlines, and institutional policies about visas, if applicable.
  3. Obtain a Residency Token via ECFMG’s OASIS.
  4. Use your Token to register at the AAMC MyERAS website and obtain your AAMC Identification Number.
  5. Once you have registered at MyERAS, you can begin to work on your MyERAS application, Profile, and Personal Statement.

    IMPORTANT NOTE: You will be required to certify your MyERAS application on-line at MyERAS. Do not certify your application until you are absolutely sure the information that you have provided is accurate and complete. Once you certify your application, it cannot be changed. ERAS Support Services at ECFMG does not have access to your MyERAS Application.

  6. Submit supporting documents, referenced with your AAMC Identification Number, to ERAS Support Services at ECFMG for arrival by August 1. All documents should be accompanied by a Document Submission Form (DSF), which you can complete and print on-line using ECFMG’s OASIS. A DSF should be included each time documents are mailed to ECFMG for scanning.

    Due to the heavy volume of incoming documents that require scanning, the lead time for scanning and uploading documents is up to four weeks from the date documents appear in the ERAS Support Services Document Tracking System, which you can access via OASIS. ERAS Support Services at ECFMG strives to have your documents ready for program evaluation by September 1; however, your timely submission of documents is critical in achieving this common goal.

    IMPORTANT NOTE: Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPEs) are not available to program directors until November 1. Therefore, the recommended deadline for arrival of MSPEs at ECFMG is October 1.

  7. Track the documents received by ERAS Support Services at ECFMG via ECFMG’s OASIS. Please allow three to five business days from their receipt by ECFMG for your documents to appear in OASIS.
  8. Register with NRMP in order to participate in the 2010 Match.
  9. Select programs and assign supporting documents.
  10. On September 1, at 8:00 a.m., Eastern Time in the United States, you may begin applying to ACGME-accredited programs, and ACGME-accredited programs may begin contacting the ERAS PostOffice to download application files. You should make every effort to ensure your supporting documents are received by ECFMG four weeks prior to this date to ensure your documents are ready for program evaluation and to meet program deadlines.
  11. A few days after applying, monitor the status of your ERAS application via the Applicant Document Tracking System (ADTS), which you can access from MyERAS.

    IMPORTANT NOTE: It takes at least one business day before documents can be transmitted to the ERAS PostOffice.

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Token Request

You must obtain a Token in order to register at MyERAS and start your residency application. The Token is a 14-digit, alpha-numeric code that you request via ECFMG’s OASIS. There is a $90, non-refundable fee for this service. Detailed instructions for using the Token to login to the MyERAS website are included on the OASIS Token page. You can obtain a Token for ERAS 2010 beginning on June 23, 2009.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Token you request through OASIS is for residency applications only. If you are currently enrolled in a residency program and require a Token for a fellowship application, you must request your Token through the ERAS Fellowships Documents Office (EFDO).

When you request your Token using OASIS, you can pay on-line using a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or Discover). ERAS Support Services strongly recommends that you make the payment on-line using your credit card. Through OASIS, you can also pay by an electronic check from a checking account at a U.S. bank. To pay for your Token by check, money order, bank check, or bank draft, complete Payment Form 900 and mail it with your payment to the address at the top of the form. If you make a payment using Form 900, you must verify that this payment has been credited to your ECFMG financial account before you request your Token; you can verify the status of your ECFMG financial account on-line using OASIS. Once the payment has been credited to your account, you must request your Token on-line using OASIS.

You will have immediate access to your Token after your request and payment are made. To access your Token, click on “OK,” and your Token will appear.

Your Token is associated with your ERAS application, ECFMG Status Report, and USMLE transcript; therefore, do not allow any other ERAS participant to use your Token.

You may obtain a Token from June 23, 2009 through May 1, 2010. You need only one Token per ERAS season. You can use that one Token to apply to as many specialties and programs as you want during the ERAS season. You can also use your 2010 Token to apply for both a clinical year (PGY-1), which begins in 2010, and for an advanced position (PGY-2), which begins in 2011 (e.g., Radiology, Neurology, etc.). The Token is not transferable for future use. The ERAS software will not recognize a Token issued for previous ERAS seasons.

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ERAS Registration

You can register at MyERAS using your Token beginning on July 1, 2009. You are strongly encouraged to register at MyERAS no later than mid-July.

To register means to use your unique Token to establish an identity with AAMC and obtain an AAMC Identification Number and password. The registration screen can be accessed only one time. Before completing your registration, please proofread the page. You cannot make changes to the information once your registration has been completed.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you receive this error message during registration at MyERAS: “Your Token does not have the correct checksum, please re-enter it,” please take a close look at the last three digits of your Token. The last three digits may consist of numbers or letters. Do not type the letter “O” instead of the number zero (or vice versa).

After you have registered successfully, ERAS Support Services at ECFMG will be notified by MyERAS, and you will be in our system.

Once you have registered, you can begin working on your application. This includes completing the MyERAS application, Profile, and Personal Statement on the MyERAS website. Each time you apply to a program, these documents will be transmitted automatically for download by the program.

An Important Note About Personal Statement Plagiarism
Copying language from any source, including the Internet, for use in your Personal Statement is considered plagiarism. Samples of published Personal Statements are found on the Internet. Although these samples may be used to assist you in writing your own Personal Statement, copying any portion of the published language and representing it as your own is plagiarism. Any reported allegations of plagiarism will prompt an investigation by AAMC and may result in your becoming ineligible to participate in training. ERAS participants should read and become familiar with the AAMC’s ERAS Integrity Promotion Education Program.

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Supporting Documents

Once you have registered using your Token at MyERAS, submit supporting documents to ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. ERAS Support Services will upload these supporting documents to the ERAS PostOffice so that they are available to the programs to which you have applied. These supporting documents include:

Due to the heavy volume of incoming documents, the time required to process and upload these documents is up to four weeks.

ERAS Support Services will also transmit your ECFMG Status Report and, if you request it, your USMLE transcript.

The following documents will be made available automatically to all programs to which you have applied: MSPE, medical school transcript, photograph, and ECFMG Status Report. Please note that MSPEs are made available to programs on November 1. To make your LoRs available to the programs to which you have applied, you need to assign them to programs. Since the PTAL and Fifth Pathway Certificate, if applicable, are treated as LoRs, you need to assign them to programs. Your program selections and document assignments are posted at the ERAS PostOffice. ERAS Support Services will download your program selections and document assignments from the ERAS PostOffice on the next business day. Your USMLE transcript will be transmitted only if you request and pay for it.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you participated in the ERAS 2009 season and also participate in the ERAS 2010 season, you are considered a Repeat Applicant. As a Repeat Applicant, you are not required to resubmit your MSPE, medical school transcript, photograph, or any LoRs that were transmitted to the ERAS PostOffice during ERAS 2009 unless you want to update these documents or did not submit these document types for the ERAS 2009 season. See Repeat Applicants for more information.

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ERAS Application Tracking

You can track the status of your ERAS application materials via the Applicant Document Tracking System (ADTS) accessible from MyERAS. Your uploaded documents will be listed on ADTS; however, you will not be able to view the actual documents.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you experience any technical difficulties during the registration or application process at MyERAS, contact the AAMC ERAS Helpdesk at (202) 862-6264, or e-mail your inquiry to myeras@aamc.org.

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National Resident Matching Program (NRMP)

The NRMP matches applicants with available residency positions. You are required to register with NRMP in order to participate in the 2010 Match. Additionally, you must meet NRMP’s examination requirements, and your passing examination results must be available in time to participate. If you have not yet taken and passed USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS), please see the Step 2 CS Schedule for Reporting Results. You should also read this important announcement about registering for Step 2 CS. You are not required to have satisfied the medical education credential requirements for ECFMG Certification in order to participate in the Match.

If you are not matched to a position through the Match, you can participate in the NRMP post-Match Scramble.

For information on Match registration and requirements, visit the NRMP website.

NRMP Post-Match Scramble

This general information about the post-Match Scramble may answer many of your questions. In order to participate in the Scramble, you must be registered with:

All applicants who did not match with a residency program may participate in the post-Match Scramble. If you have any outstanding fees with AAMC ERAS or with ECFMG, you must make the necessary payment(s) to clear these outstanding balances; otherwise, you will be prohibited from participating in the Scramble.

If you wish to participate in the Scramble only, you must obtain an ERAS Token; register at MyERAS; register with NRMP; and apply to at least one program at least two weeks prior to the Scramble.

The Scramble starts on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Time in the United States, when the list of programs with unfilled positions is posted on the NRMP website, and ends on Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Time in the United States. Once the list has been posted, you may apply to any program with an unfilled position. You will not have access to the list of unfilled programs if you did not register with the Match; refer to the NRMP website for its policies. The Match Agreement prohibits applicants from sharing NRMP’s List of Unfilled Programs with individuals who did not register with the Match.

During the Scramble, you may apply to a maximum of 30 new programs and up to 15 programs to which you applied during the regular ERAS season. There is no charge for applying to programs during the Scramble.

If you reapply to programs, you cannot retransmit or make any changes to your application; if you need to make changes to document assignments, you must do so before reapplying.

Important Information

Regardless of whether you have registered with NRMP, you should not contact any programs before noon on Tuesday, March 16, 2010. It is important that you understand the terms and conditions of the Match Agreement; therefore, please read the agreement found on the NRMP website. Programs will take note of all applicants who violate this Match rule and may report them to NRMP. Programs as well as applicants are bound by the Match Agreement.

We also urge you not to engage services that, for a fee, claim to help you by flooding programs with applications, either by e-mail or fax. Instead of being helpful, in most cases they are detrimental to your application. Therefore, be sure to register with NRMP by the late registration/rank order list certification deadline. After having consulted the list of unfilled programs on Tuesday of Match Week, go to MyERAS and apply to some of those programs. Be sure to assign your LoRs and USMLE transcript to the programs, so that we can transmit them accordingly.

It is important to know that programs may participate in ERAS but not in the Match. The reverse holds true; programs may participate in the Match but not in ERAS. You will need to research this information on your own.

ERAS Support Services at ECFMG During the Scramble

During the Scramble, ERAS Support Services will login to the ERAS PostOffice several times each day to retrieve your document assignments and program selections. We will process those selections and transmit your documents to the ERAS PostOffice shortly thereafter. Programs are responsible for downloading the documents from the ERAS PostOffice.

The Scramble is an intense 48-hour period during which ERAS Support Services at ECFMG will transmit thousands of documents. There will be no time to scan and upload documents once the Scramble has started. Therefore, in order to use ERAS to apply for unfilled positions, you must have your ERAS supporting documents processed before the start of the Scramble. This means:

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[last update: November 20, 2009]